Of Fire and Ice
by Kitten With A Tie
Summary: Abused as a kit, Russetkit grows up deciding that she must be the best warrior in the Clan. But with her abusive brothers constantly terrorizing her, will it just be dream?


This story is based off of my other story, **Misted Over.**

**=x=**

"**J**ust one more push, Icecloud!"

Jayfeather was struggling to coax the tired queen to give birth. She had already delivered three kits, and the last kit was fighting to stay inside. Icecloud shuddered once before letting out a shriek, and her body shuddered once more before the last and final kit slid out. Jayfeather attacked it, covering it with licks and nipping the sac.

He nudged the kit to the belly, where it instantly latched on, and kneading Icecloud's belly. The queen purred, chest heaving and blue eyes closing.

"Is she alright?" Lionblaze burst inside of the den, and instantly froze. His eyes were set apon the four kits, and the warm scent of love and milk filled the air. "They're beautiful," he whispered, crouching down beside his mate. Jayfeather rolled his eyes and left the nursery.

Icecloud sighed and looked at Lionblaze, her eyes opening a little. "What shall we name them?" she asked.

There were four kits in total. The first one was a golden tom with a striped tail. Beside him was a pale golden tom with a white tail tip and beside that kit was a white tom. The last kit was awfully small, with golden tabby fur and white paws and tail tip.

"The first kit shall be Firekit," Lionblaze decided. Icecloud nodded. "And that tom will be… Leafkit." Icecloud purred.

"Those are wonderful names," she mewed. Her ears flicked and she looked at her last two remaining kits. "The white tom shall be Stormkit, and the last one…" She smiled and curled her tail around the last kits, and mewed, "Russetkit."

**=x=**

Russetkit stumbled out of the nursery and looked across the clearing. Three moons had passed since her birth, and she had grown a little bit. Stormkit, Leafkit, and Firekit raced past her, and the small she-cat fell on her face.

"Haha!" Stormkit laughed. "Clumsy furball!"

Russetkit glared at her brother. She tried to get to her paws, but she couldn't grip the ground.

"Weak!" taunted Leafkit. The three kits began to chant 'weak' and 'clumsy furball' until Lionblaze snatched Leafkit up.

"Hey!" the kit squirmed in his father's grasp. Lionblaze grabbed Stormkit and Firekit and placed them beside their brother, who was scowling and glaring at his paws.

"Apologize," the giant tom ordered.

"Don't wanna," muttered Firekit, and his brothers murmured agreement.

"Now."

Leafkit glared at Russetkit. "I'm sorry," he mewed in a not-so-sorry tone. But Lionblaze believed him anyway when Stormkit and Firekit repeated his words.

"Good. You kits play nice, alright?" With a single flick of his tail, their father was gone.

Firekit waited until Lionblaze was gone before turning on his sister. "Nice move," he sneered. "You almost got us in trouble!" He cuffed his sister over the head rudely, and Russetkit fell to the ground.

"Weak!" Leafkit yowled, pouncing on her. Stormkit and Firekit followed after their brother, pulling her tail and ears and pricking her pelt with their tiny, sharp claws.

"Hey!" A cat yowled. The three toms looked up. Their eyes widened and they bolted, streaking for the elders den. A dark grey tom walked up to her, his ears slightly flattened.

"Hey, kit," he mewed. "You alright?"

Russetkit didn't reply. Nothing could heal her on the inside- all the hurt she was feeling, all the betrayal and fear balled up inside of her. She closed her green eyes and shuddered, her tail wrapped around her and her ears flattened.

"I'm guessing that's a no," the tom muttered. He grabbed Russetkit's scruff, and the kit went limp in his jaws. "You know," the tom said around her scruff, "leaf-bare is coming soon. We can't afford to be losing such precious herbs. You should fix your relationship with your brothers."

Russetkit kept her eyes closed. She could still feel their small claws piercing her, and she could feel blood dripping from her wounds. The kit grunted as she was dropped on the ground, and opened her eyes to see Jayfeather, the medicine cat, walking towards her.

"What happened?" he asked.

Russetkit began to reply, but the tom beat her to it. "She fell in a thorn bush," he meowed. "I managed to save her." Jayfeather nudged her and licked her wounds. The kit stiffened instantly and whimpered.

"Thorns?" he repeated. The cat stiffened, and began to reply, but the medicine cat only shrugged and trotted off.

"That was close," the tom muttered. "Well, I need to go. Dustpelt needs me for some training! I'll see you later, alright? Stay out of the thorn bushes!" The apprentice turned and walked out of the medicine den.

Russetkit closed her eyes and whimpered softly again. No cat had seen her being attacked, or even tried to protect her. Except for the grey apprentice. He had seen her. He had saved her. But _why? _Why did her brothers hate her so much? Yeah, she was small. Yeah, she couldn't play 'catch the moss-ball' very well, but that didn't mean she was a bad cat. She was good at _some _things.

Jayfeather approached her again, his blind blue eyes set on her. "Here." He dropped some little seeds at her paws, and he was holding some leaves in his mouth.

"Eat the seeds." Obediently, she leaned down and ate the seeds. Jayfeather chewed up the leaves and began to lick the wounds. She closed her eyes and tensed up her body.

"There. That should do it." The medicine cat peered at her, his eyebrows slightly raised. "Are you sure you fell in a thorn bush? I didn't see any thorns in your fur or in your paws." Russetkit closed her eyes and nodded her head.

"Just in case, I'll check your pads." Russetkit raised each paw in turn, and the medicine cat sniffed each pad. "Nothing… strange. Alright. Go back to the nursery. The poppy seeds should kick in at any time." He nudged her ear and the kit bounded off. "Clumsy kit," he called after her in a purring tone.

Russetkit stumbled back to the nursery. Leafkit, Firekit, and Stormkit were all in there, playing with Dewkit, Snowkit, and Amberkit. Russetkit ignored them and bounded over to Icecloud and buried her face in her mother's tail.

"Go play with the others," her mother cooed. Russetkit stared at her mother with wide, scared eyes.

"I can't," she whimpered. "They're too big and mean."

Icecloud laughed softly and licked her kit affectionately on the ear. "Ah, they're not," she mewed. "Go play with them."

Russetkit stumbled to her paws and followed the kits out of the nursery. But that was a mistake…

"Hey, Russetkit!" Leafkit yowled. Before she could move, she was tackled to the ground. She gasped in pain as icy hot agony shot through her, and she squirmed and tried to get away from her brother.

"Get off me!" she shrieked. Leafkit laughed.

"Try and get me off!" Leafkit challenged.

"_Now!" _A sudden burst of energy burst into her, and she kicked her brother off with such force that when he hit the ground, he let out a gasp and his body went rigid. The other kits stared at her with fear before racing into the nursery.

"Brightheart!" they wailed. "Icecloud! Daisy! Russetkit hurt Leafkit!" Russetkit couldn't stay here any longer. Tail tucked in between her legs, she raced to the medicine den.

"Jayfeather!" she wailed.

The tom looked at her, his blind eyes blazing. "What?" he snapped. His eyes widened as the scent of blood filled his nostrils. "Come here," he ordered.

Russetkit limped over to the tom and collapsed, her eyes closed. "It's alright, Russetkit. Stay with me."

But Russetkit couldn't… she felt herself slowly fading away.

**=x=**

No, Russetkit is not dead. She's just asleep.

I may not finish this story- it's mostly just an idea that flashed in my mind.

Review, follow, favorite!


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